It is known to provide surfaces for tennis courts, which surfaces comprise material which mimics grass. It is usual, on laying a mat of such material, to work in a layer of sand to bed the material, with grass like elements of the mat projected above the sand. In use, the individual elements projected above the sand bed may be flattened. The blades may become introverted and be embedded in the sand. When folded flat over each other, the blades may bond to a degree and remain flat, degrading the surface characteristics such that a simple brushing will not raise the blades to restore the artificial grass. Bacteria may breed in the material to create a slimy surface further degrading the usefulness of the surface.
A slimy surface may cause a player to lose footing and can become dangerous.
One proposal for overcoming the above problems involves a vacuum cleaner type mechanism by which the bedding sand is withdrawn from the surface to be cleaned when it is replaced. Such an apparatus goes to unnecessary complications in overcoming the problem.